Hi ZeoRanger,
Thanks for your reply. Dr Chan appears to only do exclusively manual punch and claims that he does all procedures himself which is another good sign. I have a consultation with him in about a month, I'll know more then.
Mostly I need to narrow down expectations. My hairline has been high since puberty which I think was a combination of genetics and being rough with my hair when I was younger (used to use cheap product and style it rough). The rest of my hair is quite thick though with fairly thin strands, so I have to be careful. Chan claims a maximum safe density of 45-50 units per square cm which seems like the normal agreed upon maximum. So he also doesn't seem like a cowboy. I'm thinking a "lowering" of 1-1.5cm would be sufficient with better framing around the sides. Aside from high hairline the men in my family appeared to keep their hair into old age with only various amounts of diffuse thinning.
Knudsen, without seeing me in person, recommended 1200-1300 grafts for my hairline. He definitely seemed more keen on pushing FUT when the rest of the industry seems to be moving towards advancing the FUE technique. After all, cosmetic surgery is all about maximizing our appearance. Knudsen said I'd be able to shave down to a blade 2 like I normally do but no promises about a blade 1. This kind of turned me off.
Chan seems to have been active since at least 2012 and if he was botching jobs I figure we would have heard about it by now. That doesn't prove anything of course, but it helps.